HILLSBOROUGH campaigners were celebrating today after the Justice Collective’s tribute single He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother was crowned Christmas number one.

Hillsborough Justice Collective members pick up the number one award at Radio One

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HILLSBOROUGH campaigners were celebrating today after the Justice Collective’s tribute single He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother was crowned Christmas number one.

The cover reached the top spot on the Official Christmas Singles Chart with sales topping 269,000.

After a closely-fought race it comfortably saw off X Factor winner James Arthur’s Impossible – crossing the finishing line more than 45,000 copies ahead of its reality TV rival.

But last week’s chart topper Arthur enjoyed another successful seven days of sales, shifting a further 224,000 copies in its second week to bring its tally to 713,000 copies sold since release.

He Ain’t Heavy started the week trailing the X Factor winner by 3,000 copies.

By Wednesday The Justice Collective had overtaken James Arthur by 3,400 before extending its lead to 23,000 copies by Friday.

After a campaign the Government agreed to waive VAT on the Justice Collective’s charity single.

It topped off a memorable week for campaigners, friends and family of the 96 football fans killed at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough ground during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest on April 15, 1989.

A new investigation into their deaths was announced by home secretary Theresa May on Wednesday.

And on the same day the High Court quashed the controversial accidental death verdicts recorded at the original inquest into the tragedy at Sheffield Wednesday’s ground. The unopposed “exceptional” application to the court was made by the attorney general Dominic Grieve. Fresh inquests will now be held and the Government will fund legal representation for the families.

The developments follow the publication in September of a damning report laying bare a cover-up which attempted to shift blame for the tragedy onto its victims. It was compiled by the Hillsborough Independent Panel chaired by the Bishop of Liverpool the Rt Rev James Jones.

He Ain’t Heavy organiser Steve Rotherham, MP for Liverpool Walton, said: “We have done in nine weeks what it normally takes nine months or more to achieve, working with a phenomenally dedicated team all of whom have worked for free and displayed total professionalism throughout.”

Both Christmas number one contenders raised vital funds for their designated charities.

Official Charts Company managing director, Martin Talbot said: “Congratulations to the Justice Collective on becoming the 2012 Official Christmas Number 1 with He Ain’t Heavy.

“They fought a sterling campaign against one of the biggest singles of the year in James Arthur’s Impossible and are worthy winners – in aid of a very worthy cause.”

Hillsborough campaigners celebrated the chart-topping achievement at the Liverpool Wall of Fame.

The record will now be commemorated on the wall opposite the Cavern Club.

It is the 57th number one to have come out of Liverpool – and the first since Atomic Kitten sang The Tide is High in September 2002.

The Farm frontman Peter Hooton and MP Steve Rotheram - both key to the recording - joined Margaret Aspinall, chair of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, on Mathew Street to mark the occasion.

Pete said: “I told Steve Rotheram he was mad [to go for number one]. X Factor and these people plan their Christmas singles in June, July, and we were only getting organised in October. It’s unbelievable, nobody does that. But it’s almost as if everything has just come into place. It comes down to the goodwill of the people, the music industry – and it’s a great testimony to the 96.”

The two men also paid tribute to The Justice Collective management Pete Byrne & Peasy – who dedicated three months of their lives to this, day and night” – and the band’s guitarist Keith Mullin – for their work in making the single such a success.

Justice Collective member Ian Prowse said: “It felt like the old days when the charts were all important, listening to the countdown and hoping for the best. Could we really get to number one at Christmas? Yes we did.

“Well done to the hundreds of people involved with putting it together. Well done to Steve for driving it.

“Most importantly though it can never be forgotten that this is a record that should never have needed to be made. I hope after this week’s very positive news that the families and survivors have a happier Christmas than they’ve had for some time.”

Margaret Aspinall’s son James bought The Hollies’ version of He Ain’t Heavy for his mum shortly before he was killed at Hillsborough.

Speaking about securing Christmas number one she said: “It’s been absolutely fantastic – credit to them all.

“This last week – and since September really – has just been brilliant. I’m looking forward to next year and I haven’t said that for over 20 years.”